The Evolving Commercialisation of Larger Not for Profit Organisations
In the Koala conservation sector, just like in many other enterprise sectors, the social enterprise model has emerged as a new form of enterprise – a mix between a profit driven corporation and a values and purpose driven not for profit organisation.
Wildlife parks and refuge centres usually build their reputation and success around one iconic animal species such as the koala, which gives them a sense of identity.
From Humble, Idealistic Beginnings to Commercialised Operations
Hospitals and not for profit refuge zoos (or wildlife parks) usually start with humble and idealistic aspirations. Their main aim is typically to care for local wildlife. These institutions are often launched as a result of an emotional response – generally, following a spike in road kill and injuries. Some of these refuge centres embrace more practical responses later in their business development and thus achieve success. Others cling on to emotional responses without creating a commercially viable business and, as a result, can fail early.
Social enterprise parks have emerged as larger not for profit parks have slowly and incrementally (and often secretly) begun to commercialise their operations - after years of condemnation of commercialisation. These wildlife and refuge centres (and their management) initially avoid talking of commercialisation and turn their noses up at the idea of commercialisation within the koala captivity industry. However, they have since begun to furtively commercialise.
This spike in commercialisation means that these centres have evolved quickly in the last 7-10 years, particularly institutions such as Port Macquarie Koala Hospital with an turnover that is in the millions. Yet, they still rely on senior long-term volunteers for support, rather than offering their staff a wage. There has also been an increase in tour groups and overall visitors, compared to 10-20 years ago when only special and privileged members of the public were allowed near the koala.
An Identity Crisis of Institutions
We now have an intersection of the two types of wildlife institutions, the conservation and the captivity sector. Both sectors use a high number of volunteer workers. This is fine. However, there is a limit in terms of accountability and quality of workmanship.
Risk of Regulatory Non-Compliance
When a large number of volunteers is used, there is a risk is that the organisation will not meet regulatory requirements – in contrast to a team that has the required skills and accreditation licences.
In the case of Wires, an Australian wildlife rescue organisation, for example, new volunteer workers are expected to handle different types of native wildlife after simply signing up for a couple of introductory training sessions and a questionnaire. Volunteers are expected to learn for themselves how to manage and handle animals as they go. Each new volunteer is dealing with unique animals who are already experiencing high levels of stress. This fundamental organisational weakness can put animals at risk of additional stress, sickness and increased rates of death.
These are all signs of a weakening society, with little regulation of this sector. It is a missed opportunity when we could be strengthening our knowledge and understanding of our own native wildlife.
Signs to watch for are:
• Conservation parks become commercial and use a high number of volunteers.
• Commercial wildlife parks cross over to the practices of conservation parks and rely solely on volunteer workers.
• Low quality wildlife rescue centres pretend to be professional units, when in fact they are filled with inexperienced staff and volunteers.
• Unregulated operations with no governing authority: Governments are either unaware or choose not to tack this problem - while wildlife suffers.
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital Going from Strength to Strength
What a turn-around! Not only are they introducing more tourist groups daily, they have also started purchasing land and developing koala food plantations, mainly to allow for an increase in their in-house koala numbers.
NSW Premier Announces $45 Million Funding for State Forests for Koala Conservation. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced in May 2018 that $45 million would go towards 25,000 hectares of State Forests for koala conservation. This is a great start which koala conservationists should use as a basis to further conservation activities.
However, koala conservationists have never really provided their own vision or reports. They haven't provided the government with the information that they require.
Many critics and so-called "experts" argue that the funds don't go far enough. Well, that's because in the conservation movement, there has always been a stigma surrounding generating revenue from conservation work. This is wrong! Thinking that creating money from koala conservation is degrading or some form of exploitation is unreasonable. Why is that?
Koala Conservation in Today's Commercial Realities
The survival of koalas in the wild needs to be in line with today's commercial realities. To survive in the long term, it is essential to find ways to support local residents by creating jobs and selling goods and services to tourists, taking advantage of tourists' love of koalas.
Of course, this only applies where conservations don't understand these commercial realities. Unfortunately, conservationists are mostly made up of a range of professionals, including academics and scientists who often miss one vital part of the process: In order for their good work to continue, they need to think like an entrepreneur. It has always been a part of koala conservation, yet, to properly explore this, the captivity sector can readily help!
Outdated Ideology of Non-Commercialisation of Koala Conservation
This old-school ideology where koala conservation groups still believe that koala conservation should not be commercialised is outdated. Both, big business and conservation groups, have already exploited koalas in worse ways anyhow. Even doing nothing can be a form of exploitation. An example is what happened at Cape Otway in Victoria. 29 years ago, they were introduced for tourism, and nothing happen for most of that time. Unsustainable koala densities at Cape Otway and ensuing inbreeding to occur and over-browsing of their food trees, resulted in many of the trees dying. Without a sufficient feed source to sustain them, the health of the koala population quickly declined and resulted it was easier to shoot them rather then manage them throughout those 29 years. Articles 17-21
Low Wages in Captive and Conservation Sectors
There are still low wages, in both, the captive and the conservation sectors of koala conservation, while some not for profit groups with huge amounts of funds are not using them properly or not at all. This begs the question: What are they doing if they are too scared to do anything?
Surely, keeping senior and experienced staff members would be one strategy - even if it means keeping up with inflation and competing with other known industries that poach their staff members by providing a higher wage. Instead, Port Macquarie Koala Hospital follows the mainstream of Government zoological institutions.
Instead of gaining a higher level of understanding of their koalas' needs by tackling their food shortage head on, such as by first increasing their senior staff wages and listening to them and supporting their koala field cutters (koala food providers), which is a form of understanding their koalas, during the change in seasons, environment and their personalities of each individual sick koala, instead they continue to follow a cheaper and conservative manner which they are accustomed to: they are developing koala food plantations that allow their nomadic animals, their koalas, only collect a food source from one location. Which is fine, in parts - as long as they not dominated there food source from the one location in a continues manner, as plantation food can also be a negative for a hospital, and any captive environment.
Give me a human or animal in society that we haven't exploited? There are very few.
Making an income from conservation work is the "Holy Grail", and all wildlife would be in a better position if there was more money injected for great causes, including research. This would allow tourism dollars to support an income for someone interested in wildlife. Sure, in the pursuit of trying things differently, you're going to have some fails, but as long as it's measured and doesn't directly affect native wildlife in a dramatic way, then you have a good failure rather than a bad failure.
If you provide that commercial structure to support koalas and wildlife in general from a range of different environments and manage to spread risk over the long term, then this would evolve into a different type of industry, one that sees how koalas and other Australian wildlife can live in different environments. However, the imagination of current conservationist and conservation groups doesn't go far enough, and the not for profit koala conservationists are stuck in the past. They're sitting back and relying on hand-outs, rather than grasping the future with both hands and exploring what works and what doesn't, making positive mistakes along the way. This type of attitude is based on hard work but is just as rewarding, because the information gained along the road will give the added benefits of honing one's skills and giving a service the community wants. In return, the profit made will go towards a business idea which can grow in the right direction that governments will fund, because they see the value that it gives to the community.
Difficult Questions Moving Forward
Some of the questions moving forward are difficult ones, such as, in the case of Port Macquarie Koala Hospital: Are they holding back koalas in their enclosure for tourism or not? There's no real independent body watching over them. Are they conscious or unconscious of their own behaviour? Who knows?!
Additionally, there is an overuse of volunteer staff. These people should be paid as their experience grows. The lack of watchdog or authority means that there is no incentive to keep management accountable, which is a concern and adds to the volunteer culture being able to continue. This is part of the reason why the koala industry pushes its way up and out of this situation mentally - by making use of the social enterprise model, especially with sick koalas. Having one big plantation from one location shows me that they are lying to themselves. They are more interested in making profits rather than sourcing the best food possible by keeping experienced staff.
Eucalyptus trees for example are like seasonal fruit. You have to know what you're picking at certain times of the year. There is a value system according to each seasonal change in the year, and you match that up with the areas the produce is coming from. In addition, you need to know when the sick and injured like something different, because of their individual situation. This way, when you provide them with food outside the norm, you expand your knowledge and understanding. But how do you gain this knowledge when you're a part of a culture that limits itself? Port Macquarie Koala Hospital for example simply do not know this, which is evident by them designing one plantation site only for their injured and sick wildlife. See my previous article "The Cultural Differences Between States" article 22.
To me, it shows that they aren't working hard enough to hold onto experienced staff, including their field cutters. And, as a result, they are limiting themselves in the way they source koala food. It's a bad culture right across the industry. The importance of food is undervalued. They should be spreading their infrastructure into smaller pieces covering a much larger area, which would benefit the koala, rather than having only one major plantation site. To put all eggs in one basket is also flawed from a business perspective. For a hospital - food is everything! Plantation food only allows sourcing from one or two locations which doesn't give you any latitude to explore a variety of food. Gum trees have different values for koalas throughout the year. For a koala, trees are like currency - and only a field cutter/dietitian would know the value of each tree species over the year. Unfortunately, this type of information is lost due to plantation construction. This is part of the reason why we as an industry are not winning the battle of long-term koala conservation.
In my next article "Koala Rankings" (article 35), I will share my thoughts on where the industry itself sits, compared to other major industries throughout Australia.
52 articles, 4 themes, 1 story